Self-tapping screw



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@. c. TROTTER SELF TAPPING SCREW May 116, 19330 Filed Nov. 28, 1951 Patented May 16, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE O. TBOTTEB,"OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ABSIGNOB TO BHAKEPBOOI' LOOK WASHER oomamr, OI CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 01' DELAWARE SELF-TRYING SCREW Application filed Kovember B8, 1881. Serial No. 577,748.

My invention relates generallyto self tapping screws, and more particularly to screws equi ped with standard threads 'which are a apted to be tapped into hard materials, such as metals, Bakelite, etc.

The invention disclosed in the present application is related to the invention set forth in my coending applicatiom'Serial No. 551,904, file -July 20, 1931, but resents certain structural features not disc osed in said co-pending application.

One of the primary objects of my invention is to )rovide a self-tap ing screw having threa s of conventiona design, which is equipped with piloting means for expediting the insertion of the screw within an aperture of a work piece.

More specifically, my invention contemplates-the rovision of a screw which is longitudina ly recessed and'providedat its entering extremity with a reduced section or pilot, said pilot serving to guide the screw as it cuts its way within the work piece.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a screw, as above set forth, in which a section of the screw body includm a portion of the pilot is resilient, an hence adapted to yield when the screw is tightened within the work piece so as to facilitate the cutting action of the screw.

A further and more specific object of my invention is to rovide a screw having a pilot at its entering end, as above set forth, which is formed with a recess extending longitudinally of the screw body in a direction substantially normal to the thread helix, whereby, when the screw is applied to a work iece, a section of the pilot and the screw ody proper will yield without eifecting any misalinement of the screw threads during the cutting operation.

The foregoing and numerous other objects and advantages will be more apparent from the following detailed descriptlon when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing, whereinigure 1 is a side elevational View of a self-tapping screw representing one embodiment of my invention, said screw being provlded with a longitudlnal recess which 15 lslull stantially perpendicular to the thread Figure 2 is a bottom view of the screw shown in Fi re 1;

Fi re 3 1s a view taken from the right of Figure 1;

F gure 4 is a modified self-tapping screw equ pped with a lon 'tudinal recess which 1s substantially para lel to the screw axis;

Figure 5 is a bottom view of the screw shown in Fi re 4;

Figure 6 is still another modified screw construction in which the entering end of the screw body is provided with a transverse slot;

Figure 7 is a bottom view of the screw structure shown in Figure 6; and.

Figures 8 to 10 inclusive disclose still another modified screw construction.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail, wherein like numerals have been employed to designate similar arts throu hout the various figures, it wi I be seen t at one embodiment ofmy invention as shown in Figures 1 to 3 inclusive, inclu es a screw designated generally by the numeral 10. This screw 10 includes a threaded body 12 having a head 14 at one end thereof and a pilot 16 extending from the opposite end thereof. The screw body 12 is c lmdrical throughout its entire extent, and t e threads thereof extend a uniform distance outwardly over substantially the entire length of the screw body. The threaded body 12 is slightly chamfered or beveled at 18, but the screw threads do not vary'from their standard form except of course as they are aifected by the presence of the cut-01f or chamfered portion 18.

A recess or slot 20 extends lon itudinally and partially across the screw b0 y,12, and it will be noted that the plane of this slot is substantially perpendicular to the thread helix. The presence of the slot 20 divides the screw body 12 into a screw section 22 and a companion section 24. It will be seen from Figure 2 that the section 22 is smaller in cross section than the section 24. The pilot 16 is slightly less in diameter than the bottom diameter of the screw threads, and

.normal cylindrical position.

thus facilitates the entrance of the screw Within the a )erture of a work piece. As a rotary and orward force is applied to the screw head 14, the screw section 22 tends to yield inwardly, and a serrated cutting edge 26 of the section 24 cuts away the material of the work piece. Chips removed from the stock are received by the slot 20, and it will be apparent that the screw section 22 yields about an axis which is substantially normal to the plane of the thread hel x. By having the section 22 yieldable 111 this manner, no misalinement of the threads 1n either of the sections 22 and 24 is experienced, there=- by positively preventing any reaming effect. I or a more detailed discussion and explanation of this particular disposition of t e slot 20, reference is again made to my above mentioned co-pending application.

It will be apparent fromthe above description that the yielding of the screw section 22 occurs only durin the in1t1al application of the screw to the aperture of a work piece. In other words, after the threads have been cut in the work piece the screw section 22 and its companion pilot section automatically swing outwardly to thelr The normal tendenc of the screw section 22 to swing outwar ly as the threads are out within the work piece, sets up sufiicient frictional resistance to counteract any tendency for the screw to loosen. It should also be noted that the threads formed by my improved screw are actually -cut in the work piece, as distinguished from being forced or molded 1n the work piece. For this reason it 18 not necessary to provide a long or extended taper to the screw in order to force it into the aperture of the work p1ece. The threads of the screw are uniform in depth, with the possible exception of a fragmentary portion thereof cut away by the presence of the chamfer 18.

In Figures 4 and 5 I have disclosed a modified screw construction designated generally by the numeral 100. This screw is provided with a longitudinal recess or slot 20a, which is substantially parallel to the axis of the screw, and hence is inclined w th respect to the plane of the, thread helix. Said screw also 1ncludes a head 14a, a screw body 12a made up of a pair of screw sections 22a and 24a, which are separated by the slot 20a,and a pilot 16a extending from the screw body 1201, said pilot being similar to the pilot 16 of the screw 10. It will be apparent that the screw sections 220i and 24a are substantially e ual in cross section by reason of the fact t at the slot 20a extends medially of the screw body. The threads within the screw section 22a, when they are sprung inwardly as a result of the initial engagement of said section with the work piece, will not maintain absolute alinement with the companion threads in the section 24a, as described in connection with F1 ures 1 to 3 inclusive. However the serrate cutting edge 26a of the screw section 24a will cut threads within the work piece with suflicient accuracy for certain types of work. That is to say, when the degree of accuracy capable of being accomplished by using the screw 10 is not required, a screw such as the screw 10a, may be employed. It should also be noted that the screw section 22a does not have as much resiliency as the screw section 22 because the screw section 22 is smaller in cross sectional area than the screw section 24, and therefore will more readily yield to pressure experienced during the initial application of the screw to the work.

Referring to Figures 6 and 7, it will be seen that l have disclosed a still further screw modification designated generally by the numeral 10?). This screw 1ncludes the usual threaded body 12?) and a pilot 16?) provided at the entering end thereof. A slot 20?) completely traverses the entering extremity of the screw, but only extends into the screw body a short distance. In fact, the slot 20?) only traverses a few of the threads in the screw body. For certain types of work a screw of the ty e shown in Figures 6 and 7 may be employed for cutting threads.

In Figures 8 to 10 inclusive I have shown still another screw modification designated generally by the numeral 100, which comprises a screw body 120 having a pair of oppositely disposed longitudinally extending slots 200, which are disposed in stag ered relation transversely of said screw ody, Figure 10. It will be seen that each of these slots 200 divides the screw body into a pair of screw sections22c and 240, the sections 20 being the advancing sections; and the sections 240, the cutting sections. It will be seen that one wall of each of the slots 200 is radial, while the other wall is laterally displaced with respect to a radial plane. Thus each of the screw sections 220 at its entering point is less in cross sectional area than the companion section 240. This relationship renders the screw sections 220 yieldable in response to the force acting thereon when the screw is applied to the unthreaded aperture of a workpiece. It will also be seen that the enterin extremity of the screw 100 conforms with t 1e shape of conventional die pointed screws inasmuch as it includes a pilot member 160, which merges with a chamf-ered or beveled portion 180.

From the foregoing it will be a parent that my invention contemplates tlie provision of a self-tapping screw of simple and practical design. The threads, being of conventional design, further serve to simplify the screw structure, and the presence of the pilot in combination with the bifurperformed. Again,

cated screw sections serves to materially expedite the entrance or insertion of the screw within the aperture of a work piece. By having the screw body cylindrical over practically its entire axial extent, with the possible exception of the small chamfered or beveled portion 18, maximum strength is insured, and uniformity in the threads is maintained over substantially the entire length of the screw body. The pilot serves to direct the following screw threads in their cutting action upon the work piece. By having the slot or recess within the screw substantially perpendicular to the plane of the thread helix, no misalinement of the threads in the companion screw sections is experienced, and hence the possibility of reaming is eliminated. However, in instances where extreme accuracy in thread dimension is not required, recesses of the type disclosed in Figures 4 to 7 inclusive may be employed.

Attention is directed to the fact that my improved self-tapping screw is rovided at its entering extremity with a s ape which conforms generally with the shape of die. pointed screws, and the chamfered or beveled portion which merges into the cylindrical pilot cuts away a certain portion of the screw threads, so that the portion of the threads included within the chamfer will be formed with a fiat surface which corresponds to the flat surface provided in conventional tapered taps and the like. By employingthis construction, the initial cutting of the work piece may be more easily I wish to urge that the action of my improved self-ta ping screw should be clearly distinguishe from conventional types of self-tap ing devices of this general class, in which t ore is no yielding of a section of the screw, and in which the screw threads are forced rather than out in the material. It should be apparent that self-tapping screws constructed in accordance with are particularly adaptable for use in brittle materials,,suc'h as Bakelite, slate, plaster of Paris, etc., wherein the threads must be cut and not merel forced into the material. Materialssuc as Bakelite, slate, and plaster of Paris tend to crack or crumble when force is applied thereto, but are readily adapted to have threads cut therein, as, for example, by employing my improved thread cutting screw. Attention is again directed to the fact that by providing the longitudinal slot within. the screw body and pilot a passage for cuttings is resented whic relieves against any ten ency of crowding, thereby avoiding any undue pressure upon the material in which the threads are beingcut.

Obviously screws having structural characteristics dlfiering from those disclosed in the teachings of my invention,

the present application, may be em loyed without departing from the spirit an scope of my present invention, said invention being limited only by the scopeaof the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A tapping screw fastener including a hardened threaded body portion, said body including a section having a cutting ed e and a yieldable section for increasing the cutting eiiectiveness of the edge of said other section, the entering end of the thread decreasing in external diameter.

2. A. tapping screw fastener including a hardened t readed body portion, said body including a section having a cutting edge and a yieldable section for increasing the cutting efi'ectiveness of the ed e on said other section, the entering end 0 the thread decreasing in external diameter, and a recessed pilot section extending beyond. the entering end of said thread.

3. A tapping screw fastener including, a hardened threaded body portion, said body including a section having a cutting edge and a yieldable section for increasing t e e on said cutting eiiectiveness of the ed the thread other section, the entering end 0 decreasing in ti a1 portion of the thread on said body having a constant root diameter.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

GEORGE C. TROTTER. v

external diameter, a substan- 

